By any means necessary

Ducks All Askew

A short while ago the Republicans brought themselves opprobrium by pitching a colossal, irresponsible fit that cost the nation twenty odd billion and risked far more because the Democrats would not accede to their demands for additional draconian cuts.

It was possible to cast the Republicans as the bad guys because everyone knew they were trying to use the threat of disaster to extort what they did not have the votes in the senate to get legitimately, repeal of Obamacare or extensive defunding of key features of social democracy and more tax cuts for the rich.

Their radicalism, their willingness to harm the country to get their way, led to the people as well as the Democrats seeing them as extortionists holding a gun to the nation’s head, though the Democrats were the ones who repeatedly refused offered budgets and funding that would have mitigated or prevented the harm at the cost of cherished Democratic values.

That time the Democrats refused to be “the responsible adults” and refused to be bullied, and earned kudos and esteem for it.

But today BooMan and since yesterday many others are perfectly willing to reverse roles and refuse every budget deal that does not include Republican concessions, Republican surrenders of victories the Democrats could not win without the threat of disaster and do not have the votes in the house to get legitimately.

Things like an unemployment extension or expanded food stamp coverage and tax hikes for the wealthy, that are not in the negotiated deal BooMan and other liberals want the Democrats to reject, thinking the Republicans will get the blame if the government is shut down again and not seeing at all the importance of the fact that it is they, now, who want to hold a gun to the nation’s head to get their way.

It is they who now are the radicals, the extremists, the bullies, the extortionists, the political thugs holding the country hostage, out to win at any cost.

And that makes a difference.

If they do this they will vindicate every Village pundit who bloviates a plague on both their houses and so facilely blames both parties equally for gridlock and bitterness in our politics.

Better to take the negotiated deal - and I'm not saying it was well negotiated or it's a good deal - and let the Republican radicals be the bad guys, if they can't help themselves.

Much better.

Update.

BooMan added another post with the same point.

He claims if Boehner cannot get enough votes to pass the deal in the house without the Democrats that will make the collapse of the deal the Republicans' fault.

He just doesn't see that if the deal fails because Democrats want to extort more for their side with the threat of another shutdown the public will correctly perceive this and blame them, just as last time they blamed the Republicans, for holding a gun to the nation's head to win by extortion what they don't have the votes to win by legitimate, majority rule.

But they will.

The Democrats will be blamed and they will deserve it.

Why do I have the impression that bloggers, if not all pundits, are in the nature of the case so committed to their side winning that they tend almost without a moment's thought to plunge into unscrupulous, unpatriotic, and dangerous methods for a better shot at victory?

Oh.

Because it's true.